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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. degree — an amount
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — to play on
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. cap — of ice
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cap — a lid
  10. swing — music
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — in sport
  14. degree — from a university
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cap — a hat
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — a series
  20. degree — temperature
  21. net — after costs
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. net — for catching
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com